How things work: Helium. From cryogenics to floating balloons, Friday magazine shows how helium is produced and how this precious gas is utilized to uplift our lives. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00Helium is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic gas, represented by the symbol He.
00:10It's the second most abundant element in the universe next to hydrogen, but it's rare on Earth.
00:14In fact, there really isn't any in the atmosphere because it's so light it just floats away.
00:18So where does it come from?
00:20Almost all of the helium that we have on Earth comes from underground natural gas deposits,
00:24but not just any deposit contains helium.
00:26The natural gas has to be trapped in an area with a lot of naturally occurring uranium ore surrounding it.
00:31The ore gives off alpha particles that convert to helium.
00:34The natural gas in such areas contains up to 7% helium, which can be distilled out of the gas by liquefying it.
00:39These natural gas fields are rare, so the quantity of helium that the world can produce is limited.
00:43A helium balloon is the simplest flying machine.
00:46It's made possible by the fact that helium is lighter than air.
00:49A normal balloon that is one foot in diameter can be filled to contain about 14 litres of helium.
00:53This will enable the balloon to lift about 14 grams.
00:56As you increase the size of the balloon, you increase the weight it can lift.
01:00The Goodyear blimp, one of the most famous blimps using helium, takes the size thing to extremes.
01:05It can carry up to six passengers.
01:07When helium is not busy lifting things, it can often be found cooling things,
01:10like the superconducting magnets in commercial MRI scanners.
01:13About a quarter of the world's helium production is actually used for cryogenics.
01:17Over time, helium supplies could get strained in the way oil supplies are being strained today.
01:22If that happens, helium balloons and blimps could become a thing of the past.